Gandhinagar, March 23 (NationPress) The government of Gujarat has launched 20 essential public services online to facilitate access and minimize processing delays for millions of applicants, as stated in an official announcement on Monday.

This initiative focuses on services that represent a significant portion of applications on the state's 'Digital Gujarat' platform, which processes nearly 1.2 crore applications each year.

Of these, approximately 87 lakh applications are associated with the 20 services that are now being digitalized, underscoring their critical role in daily interactions between citizens and the state.

The decision is in response to the recommendations from the fifth report of the Gujarat Administrative Reforms Commission (GARC) and is part of the 'Sugam Digital Gujarat' initiative led by the state's Science and Technology Department.

Under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, the government aims to connect with citizens at their doorstep, making these 20 frequently sought services more accessible by moving them online.

The state government emphasized that this initiative is aimed at promoting faceless, cashless, and paperless governance.

The main goal of this initiative is to simplify, expedite, and enhance transparency in government services so that citizens can easily access them at their fingertips.

The first phase of services encompasses five departments.

The Social Justice and Empowerment Department covers 11 services, including certificates for Socially and Economically Backward Classes (rural and urban), non-creamy layer certificates for both state and Central government, Scheduled Caste certificates, Economically Weaker Section certificates, and income certificates.

The Food and Civil Supplies Department includes six services, addressing the addition and removal of names in ration cards, corrections, issuance of separate ration cards, new ration cards, and duplicate ration cards.

The Revenue Department has included a service for requesting copies, while the Legal Department has moved an affidavit-related service online.

The Tribal Development Department has added the issuance of Scheduled Tribe caste certificates.

The state government noted that currently, only about 4% of services on the Digital Gujarat platform provide end-to-end digital delivery, with many still available through Jan Seva Kendras and e-Gram centers.

Officials indicated this reflects both the strength of the existing service delivery network and the potential for further digital growth.

The new system allows citizens to input their data once and utilize it across various services.

Application forms have been streamlined, and unnecessary document requirements have been eliminated.

Documents will be verified digitally via Aadhaar-based authentication, API-enabled online record checks, and integration with DigiLocker.

Additional features include e-Sign capabilities, QR code-enabled certificates, online payments through UPI, and service delivery through messaging platforms.

With the services transitioning to a faceless format, citizens can expect transparent services via the online portal.

The state government anticipates that these changes will decrease approval stages through process re-engineering, leading to quicker application processing.

Furthermore, eliminating the need to visit offices will save citizens both time and travel expenses, while improved data integration is expected to enhance accuracy and minimize errors in issued certificates.

The state government is committed to realizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a Developed India, with citizen-centric governance at the forefront of government services.

Plans are set to expand the Sugam Digital Gujarat initiative in the future, including projects driven by technology, such as the development of artificial intelligence models in the Gujarati language.